William Burns, the father of Robert Burns, leased a small piece of land in 1757 in Alloway where he built the little cottage that is now famous the world over as Burns Cottage. William married his sweetheart, Agnes, in December of that year and a year later, their first son, Robert, was born on 25 January 1759.
View from front
While the growing family would move to a new home in 1766, Robert Burns spent most of his formative years in the tiny cottage. William Burns was a staunch believer in education and helped pay for a young teacher to come to the village. Robert’s imagination was also fired by stories and songs his mother taught him about Ayrshire folklore.
Back view (the barn area first)
The cottage is of traditional style with accommodation for both family, livestock and storage for produce and feed. The family lived in a single room that functioned as both a kitchen and sleeping area. William and Agnes shared a bed with the youngest children and the older children slept on pull-out cots on the floor.
Original fireplace
Sleeping Area
The image above shows the box bed in which Robert was born and it is much smaller than a modern day single bed. It is hard to imagine two adults would’ve fitted into it, never mind with children. The sleeping area divided the room from the kitchen and family area.
The cottage now forms part of the Heritage Park which also houses a museum containing original manuscripts and some of Burns’s belongings.
